


a series of misunderstandings

by Sumi



Series: Avalon Trevelyan [8]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Character thinks proposal was rejected but other person misunderstood, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-06-27 20:42:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19797415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: It was best to just blurt it out then. Bull said she could tell him when she was ready, but Avalon if she waited, then she'd lose the nerve to ask Bull to marry her. Avalon didn't want to put it off any longer. She wanted to ask him now.“What do you think about us tying the knot?”





	a series of misunderstandings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blackglass](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackglass/gifts).



The first time Avalon brought up the idea of marriage to Bull she was curious for curiosity's sake. His response made her heartbeat quicken and butterflies form in her stomach. Damn that man. He did have a way with words. She ultimately agreed with everything he said, but then Avalon lost her arm and nearly her life which changed everything.

It certainly managed to kick things into perspective. Avalon cared for The Iron Bull more than she had anyone. Why not make it official (in a manner of speaking) in front of all their friends? She simply had to work up the nerve to ask… much like Avalon did when she gave Bull his half of the dragontooth. 

Avalon remembered being so nervous during that time. Dorian gave her a pep talk that gave her enough courage to finally give it to him. However, this time Dorian was all the way in Tevinter. They still could communicate with the crystals he gifted her, but not often as Avalon would’ve liked.

The first step was to plan how she was going to propose to Bull. She wasn’t the traditional sort, much to the dismay of her strict andrastian parents. There would be no beating around the bush or anything of that nature. She decided to ask the question point blank. It wasn’t always the usual manner Avalon did things, but she’d never been very diplomatic. Cassandra and Josephine would readily agree to this given how many things the Lady Ambassador had to smooth over during her time in the Inquisition.

Eventually came the morning when Avalon decided it was time to ‘pop the question’ so to speak. She knew Bull realized something was up. It didn't take a former Ben Hassrath to see through Avalon's poor attempts to act casual.

The day went on as it usually did. She traveled with Bull and the Chargers until they decided it was time to make camp for the night. Since ending the Inquisition, Avalon had become an unofficial member of the Chargers. They were a rowdy bunch and unsurprisingly Avalon fit right in. Avalon felt more at home here than she did in any of the other places she lived. Skyhold had held a lot of people she considered family, but it was never truly home.

Towards the end of the night, Avalon retired to the tent they had been sharing for a few months now. She didn't have to wait long for Bull to join her. Every time Avalon opened her mouth to speak, her nerves overpowered the urge to get those words out.

"Kadan is there something on your mind you want to discuss?" Bull suddenly asked, his tone filled with amusement and a small amount of curiosity.

Avalon let out a small sigh and rolled her eyes at the question. "How did you ever guess? Your deduction skills always manage to astound me, Bull."

He laughed. "Go ahead and take your time, Kadan. You can tell me when your ready- or not at all. It's up to you."

It was best to just blurt it out in one sitting. Bull said she could tell him when she was ready, but Avalon couldn’t stand it any longer. If she waited, then she'd lose the nerve to ask Bull to marry her. She wanted to ask him now. Putting it off was giving her stress that she didn’t need or want.

“What do you think about us trying the knot?” Avalon finally asked, relieved it was all out in the open now..

She waited, watching Bull's face for any hints of what he might say. He could be expressive if you knew how to read him. After more than two years together, Avalon liked to think she could read could him pretty well.

In the beginning, he was quiet but then he threw his head back and started laughing. She had prepared herself for any kind of reaction Bull might have, but Avalon never expected him to laugh at the proposal. It caught Avalon off guard. However, she waited for Bull to give her an answer before reacting. 

It could be nothing more than nervous laughter. While he’d never had it before, marriage proposals could shock anyone to their core and make them act in strange ways

"Kadan, I don't think Qunari are capable of that but I'm willing to try," Bull said, punctuating the end of his sentence with a wink that would usually cause a flush to make its way up to her cheeks. "You'd be surprised of all the kinky shit you can find in Orlais. Remember that gift I got you last time? Never thought I’d find something like that."

Avalon was not expecting a reaction like that. She couldn't understand why Bull went there. Perhaps, he truly did not want to enter into any marriage. What they had was enough for him and it was enough for Avalon, but she expected a rejection of the proposal in a much different manner. Bull making a joke out of it came out of nowhere.

If Avalon was being honest with herself, it hurt like hell.

"I think we'll find something next time we visit Orlais. We always do," Avalon said, a smile appearing on her face. It didn't quite reach her eyes.

Bull lifted a brow and frowned. "You okay there, Kadan?"

"I'm fine, Bull. Just tired. It’s been a long couple of weeks."

She didn't think Bull believed her one bit, but they went to sleep regardless of whether he believed her not. He wasn't the type to push unless it seemed like she really needed it. The one thing Avalon would rather not do was talk about it for the time being. They could discuss it another time-- when the hurt wasn't so fresh. At least in her sleep Avalon could pretend like she hadn’t made a fool of herself in front of her lover.

The next few days passed without much incident. If Bull noticed something was wrong with her, he didn’t bring it up. She was mostly fine, anyway. Avalon just felt befuddled and embarrassed by the entire experience. It wasn’t until they finished the assignment they’d been given that the tide turned in a way she didn’t expect.

She had just started to overcome the embarrassment that plagued her since attempting to propose to Bull. There was no way she was going to try again anytime soon-- if at all. In a couple months, the two of them might even laugh about it.

Avalon was helping Grimm set up camp when she noticed Krem and Bull speaking a short distance away out of the corner of her eye. The conversation was hushed, but then Krem threw his head back and burst out into laughter. She watched Bull narrow his eyes and mutter something that looked like ‘fuck’.

He turned and looked in her direction. Avalon frowned, deciding to take the initiative and approach Bull before he started to walk towards her. Krem bowed out as soon as she was within speaking distance.

"Bull, is everything okay?"

He let out a loud growl of frustration. "Besides ruining my girlfriend's proposal you mean?"

"Wait, you had no idea I proposed?" Avalon asked, biting down on her bottom lip in order to stifle a chuckle. At the time it hurt, but now that Avalon knew it was nothing but a misunderstanding, she wanted to burst out laughing.

"Kadan, if I had any idea what tying the knot meant to you humans, I would've said fuck yes."

This time Avalon did laugh, but mostly in relief.

“Let me try this again,” Avalon said as she looked up at Bull. “So Bull will you marry me?”

Bull chuckled. “Fuck yes, Kadan.”

Now that was what Avalon had been expecting when she proposed a few days ago. From now on, Avalon would need to be more clear about what she wanted. No more idioms that non-humans might not get. Bull might have spent quite a few years in Ferelden and Orlais, but it didn’t mean some things still wouldn’t go over his head.

When everything calmed down, Bull cleared his throat and gave Avalon one of those looks.

"Yes, Bull?" Avalon asked warily.

He grinned. "I know it was a misunderstanding, but maybe for our one year anniversary we can 'tie the knot'."

Avalon groaned, resisting the urge to roll her eyes in annoyance. She heard Bull make all types of puns during their time together. This one, however, was definitely in the top five of the worst puns Bull ever said.

"Is that a yes or no, Kadan? It's kinda hard to read you right now."

The only thing Avalon could think to do was break out into a soft fit of laughter. “I now understand how Krem feels when you decide to pull out your worst puns.”

“Hey, they aren’t that bad!” Bull protested, but he was quick to join in on her laughter.

They would have to agree to disagree.


End file.
